Cutting a SawStop ICS down to size

[Steven Woodward]

I replaced my 35 year old contractor saw ( 24 x 22 inch table ) with a SawStop, but didn’t want to increase the floor footprint. So which SawStop model would be best for minimizing footprint? The SawStop PCS motor is normally sticking out the left hand side of cabinet, and moves inside when the blade is set to 45 degrees. The SawStop contractor saw motor hangs out the back. The SawStop ICS offered the best floor space efficiency because the motor is normally inside the cabinet, and sticks out under the right hand wing when blade is set to 45 degrees. By installing only the right hand wing, and cutting the fence rails down to size, the floor space footprint was kept the same as old contractor saw. See video for details https://youtu.be/s9I3SEcJe5w

SawStop ICS.jpg

[David Publicover]

Thanks for sharing your modifications Steven. I have a Sawstop ICS with52” rails that I’ve been thinking of cutting down as I have a small shop as well. Your video was very informative and maybe just the push I need to get at it in the new year.
Cheers!

[Steven Woodward]

Thanks for sharing your modifications Steven. I have a Sawstop ICS with52” rails that I’ve been thinking of cutting down as I have a small shop as well. Your video was very informative and maybe just the push I need to get at it in the new year.
Cheers!

The abrasive cutting wheel worked, but felt kind of crude and heated up the paint. Let us know if you use another method and how it goes. I considered a carbide toothed blade made for cutting steel but they got poor reviews on Amazon, and cost a lot more.

[Frank Pratt]

The abrasive cutting wheel worked, but felt kind of crude and heated up the paint. Let us know if you use another method and how it goes. I considered a carbide toothed blade made for cutting steel but they got poor reviews on Amazon, and cost a lot more.

A proper "cold cut" carbide metal cutting saw is a wonderful thing. They are quieter, more accurate and very little heat. A regular circular saw runs too fast for metal cutting, which may have something to do with the bad reviews. The saws are expensive.

[Jack Frederick]

I cut my rails down on the 52”. Once I pulled the table to the right I marked the rails in place with a carbide scribe as I simply didn’t want to remove them. I have porta-bands, horiz. metal band saw, metal cutting chop saw, plasma, corded Milwaukee sawz-all, etc. I chose the hi-tech method and used my Milwaukee M12 sawz-all. I made a vertical cut and then a back-cut 45 to prevent getting hung up on the angle as you rounded the table. I figured I could dress the cut with an angle grinder but being properly set with a good new metal blade no dressing was necessary. It is a great mod imho.

[Bob Falk]

I have cut down my SS rail twice. Once to shorten to a 36" rail and once to fit on a sliding table. I used an abrasive saw at the time with no problems....a little scorched paint, but I am not fussy about such things. Since then I bought an Evolution saw to cut metal. Clean, accurate and cuts are cold to the touch. I would look for someone locally who can do a cut for you (Nextdoor?, CL?)....a metal bandsaw would also work.

[Derek Arita]

Wow. It pains me to see someone making irreversible changes to $4K saw. That said, it's your saw and you gotta do, what you gotta do.

[Steven Woodward]

Wow. It pains me to see someone making irreversible changes to $4K saw. That said, it's your saw and you gotta do, what you gotta do.

What a man gotta do: Music Video

It was a little painful to make that first cut. I was lucky to get a good deal on a SawStop demo/floor unit which already had some scratches, so that made it a little easier.

The way I saw it, there were 3 options for me:
1) Keep working with the saw I had.
2) Buy a new saw of similar size as the old one. But SawStop did not make one that small, and I wanted the safety feature.
3) Buy a SawStop and cut it down to size.

A complete new rail assembly is only $200 from SawStop so when I go to the big workshop in the sky, someone else can restore the SawStop to its original glory. In addition to the safety and quality of SawStop, another thing they do well is the parts store, which seems to have everything and the prices are reasonable.

Another cut I made was to my Apple Pro desktop computer. With the stand that comes with the computer I found the screen was too high on the table for my neck comfort. So I took the thing out to the shop and cut it in half with a Sawzall, then bolted back together to get a shorter stand. See photo. Funny story: A year later one of the computer ports failed, and I had to take it to an Apple store for repair under warranty. I was expecting them to give me a hard time about "modifications invalidate the warranty", but the person who took in the computer, had never seen that particular model, and as they were looking it over, they noticed the stand and commented on the neat adjustable stand as if that was the way it came from Apple.

Apple Stand.jpg

[Frank Pratt]

Wow. It pains me to see someone making irreversible changes to $4K saw. That said, it's your saw and you gotta do, what you gotta do.

I've heard others express that sentiment, especially on the SawStop facebook page. I just don't understand it. The thing is a tool, made to be used & made to be worn out. People are so precious about their SawStops & it makes me want to barf. I like to keep mine clean, waxed & in good working order, but I'm not afraid to use it & modify things if it will make them work better for me.

[Jim Becker]

Wow. It pains me to see someone making irreversible changes to $4K saw. That said, it's your saw and you gotta do, what you gotta do.

Unfortunately, when a more compact configuration of the tool isn't available from the manufacturer, folks have got to adapt the tool to their environment and requirements. Some of these great saws only come in the huge table surface capacities (and not just from SawStop) that just don't work for many folks. It would be nice if they offered the beefier machines in a more compact form for sure. But even those of use with sliders have to deal with the same...many have wide right-side extension tables that are not needed for our work or not compatible with our space. I had to cut down the right side table of my slider for that reason, although I was fortunately able to accommodate the fence rail due to the way a wall bends and can restore things in the future if I had a larger shop..

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I really enjoyed the video and I am so glad that you posted it. You did many "smart" things; for example, the wood block so that the fence is supported. Two thumbs up!

I see that the saw in its normal position has the back against your work bench. I am guessing that to use your angle gauge you need to move the table saw. Do I see that correctly?

[Steven Woodward]

... Some of these great saws only come in the huge table surface capacities (and not just from SawStop) that just don't work for many folks. It would be nice if they offered the beefier machines in a more compact form for sure. ..

If I worked for SawStop marketing department I would offer some compact configurations to increase sales. This would not require design changes, just offer some shorter rails, drop the left wing and drop the right extension table. That should knock a few hundred dollars off the price and open the door to more small shop woodworkers who are willing to buy a SawStop but can't see how it would fit in their small shop. I personally deliberated for several months, looking at each of the SawStop models, making scale drawings of the saw and my shop, unable to find any arrangement that worked, fearing I would spend a few thousand dollars and then resent this monster in the shop. I did even look at hybrid table saws made by others, but always came back to SawStop because of the safety feature. Cutting the rails was the breakthrough to a solution. Understandably, not everyone is ready for that on a new saw.

SawStop ICS in Shop.jpg

[Jack Frederick]

Send them a note. while considering the RT for my saw I felt the photos were poor, contacted them and suggested that they have simple clear pics or drawings of all possible configurations. SS responded within a couple days thanking me for the input. They sent me a hat and as I shave my head, hats are welcome. They didn't follow my advice but I'm used to that.

[Steven Woodward]

I really enjoyed the video and I am so glad that you posted it. You did many "smart" things; for example, the wood block so that the fence is supported. Two thumbs up!

I see that the saw in its normal position has the back against your work bench. I am guessing that to use your angle gauge you need to move the table saw. Do I see that correctly?

Andrew, I get your point about miter/angle gauge hitting the outfeed table, but it doesn't seem to be a problem. Perhaps because the ICS has a 30 inch deep table there is room for the miter gauge to pass the blade, without hanging off the table.

SawStop Miter Guage.jpg

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I expected it would hit; it does with mine which is a different model. That's really nice it means that you don't have to move the saw when you want to use it with the gauge. In fact, it's not even close it looks like I really appreciate the picture.

Again, I am really impressed with your setup.